Untitled

Maxie Tjampitjinpa was born in Ikuntji (Hasst Bluff) in the Northern Territory and moved to the government established settlement of Papunya in the 1960’s. In the 1980s he was taught to paint by Mick Tjakamarra, who was a founding member of Papunya Tula Artists.

This painting depicts the great bush fire that was ignited by Lungkata, the blue-tongued lizard man. Lungkata was resting at the site of Warlugulong waiting for his two sons who were following behind him. The sons had speared a kangaroo, but they cooked and ate it all, breaking customary lore of sharing food in the appropriate manner. Lungkata sensed what had happened and in fury he blew on a fire stick until it was glowing and touched a bush with it. The bush exploded and created angry flames that flickered across country like a lizard’s tongue. The two sons couldn’t escape the angry flames and became subject to a fiery death. Tjampitjinpa illustrates the intense and vibrant fire-field. Flaming bushes are burnt to white ash on the red ground, alongside black, charred remnants of flora. A painting full of movement and colour that tells a morbid story of punishment.